American lady living in Kuwait commenting on daily occurrances through her warped perspective. Her travels take us beyond the boundaries of normalcy.
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Thursday, October 30, 2014

Slipcovers from HELL

Long time
ago, when I actually had some pocket money, I had a sofa made. I am an indecisive person so the sofa that I
saw/had it modeled from (a $6000 Roche Bobois one that I saw in a magazine in the States) was red. I loved
it, but I didn’t know for how long my "red phase" would last.
Then, I decided to have white slipcovers made from a similar
fabric. Later, I got another set made in
deep purple. My theory was that I could
change them seasonally and use neutral tones in the room (like carpets and
drapes) and then just change out the accessories and pillows to reflect the
sofa color. It has worked out really nicely.

When I
originally had the sofa made, I had a few glitches, but overall it was a timely process and I had
a finished sofa in a little over a week.
Unfortunately (for the guys who delivered it, carrying it up 5 flights
to my apartment), it was approximately 20cm too large to get into the
apartment, so they had to take it back and chop it down (at no cost to
me).

I love the
sofa. My friends love the sofa. It was really well made with solid wood and
good springs and cushions. It has lasted
me quite a long time now. I’ve had it
re-sprung once several years ago when having the purple slipcovers made. I think at that time, the total price to have
the slipcovers made was around KD150.

So as trends
in décor change, I decided to have aqua-blue slipcovers made. I searched through most of the shops in
Dhajeej and couldn’t find what I was looking for; finally walking into a store (the 2nd one I walked into) in the fabric souq downtown (“blockat”
– or the commercial block) and found the right fabric at the right price.

I felt
comfortable as I was greeted by a very nice Indian man named Felix. I asked him if he could make slipcovers and
the 2 nice Kuwaiti ladies (customers) sitting next to me said that the shop
(called “Craft” on their sign) does very good work. Usually, the places where you buy upholstery
fabric are usually the same guys who send it to their workshop to have curtains
and upholstery made for clients.

Felix handed
me a card that read “Silver Fabrics”. I’ve
learned long ago not to question the details in Kuwait because it only
frustrates me. I made an appointment for
Felix to come to my house and take measurements of my sofa and get my
requirements. He said, "Trust me, you'll like it." (That should have been a clue - I never trust men who say, "Trust me.") He came with several men
and they took the sofa to their workshop, handing me a receipt with yet another
name on the top, “Kaiser Sofa Factory.”

I went on
vacation for 2 weeks. When I returned, I
called Felix. His phone was switched
off. I continued calling for several
days. His phone was still off. I finally called the shop “Silver Fabrics” or
“Craft” – and asked to speak to the manager.
He said that he didn’t know what happened to Felix – that his phone had
been switched off for several weeks. He
also said that he didn’t know where my sofa was, but he would, “Try to do me a favor
and find out where it is.” What?! Dude is supposed to be an employee, right? Or is he just some random guy, hanging around
your shop, selling fabric and making upholstery deals?

Every day I called, the answer was, “Tomorrow, Inshallah.” (I can be very persistent and I had several
of my Kuwaiti friends calling also.) It took me 2 more weeks (a full month) to get my sofa back. When
the sofa arrived, it had not been made to my requirements and there were 4
cushions missing (including 2 that I had given them as samples). Also missing were my purple slipcovers and
several of the red (original) cushion covers.
Oh no he d’int!

That turned
into a game of, “I’ll do you a favor and try to get them back for you.” What?!
Do me a FAVOR? I paid you – TWICE
what the slipcovers cost a few years ago.

Last night,
they finally delivered the covers. It has
taken a total of 5 weeks. It wasn’t done
the way I asked, but it is still pretty and my mission is finally over. I learned a lesson on this one. Felix is NOT a wonderful, wonderful cat! for one thing.

4 comments:

Hi DG! Sorry that you had this experience, I never trust those stores they always tell you something and it takes them forever to get things done. What I usually do is I buy my fabric from them and then have anything I want done by someone else, if you would like I can email you the number of a good upholsterer dude that did all my moms couches, hes not very cheap but very reliable. I also have another guy who did my couches he was good also.

Hello Desertgirl,Thank you very much for your work on this blog! It has been invaluable when I moved to Kuwait. Who would you suggest for honest and quality furniture upholstery repair? You refer to a place called Dajeej in a different post, where are they? Going into the third year in Kuwait, and the (fake) leather chairs bought from the Home center are All torn at seams. Thank you again and God bless,Sara

Hi Sara and thanks for the compliment. Dhajeej is the area next to the airport. If you are on 6th Ring Road going away from the city, Dhajeej is on the right (the area where Sears is). There are many upholstery and furniture making shops there. The one I used way back in the day is no longer there. Kakooli is a safe bet, but if you want to check out other places, just go in and look at their sample furniture for workmanship.

I've had my sofa since 2004. It's got good bones; good wood. I've had it reupholstered (slipcovers) 3 times and had the straps redone once. It's still in great shape.

About Me

American semi-Kuwaiti living, working, eating, boating, and observing in Kuwait. Born in America, but raised with Kuwaitis, I get culture shock on both continents. No one understands me, but my dog, and she still gives me strange looks once in a while.
I do not accept payment for advertising; I won't entertain the thought. If I think your product or service is worthy of discussion, I will post about it. If I help you, you can send me pink roses.
If you are interested in reading about the Bedoun cause in Kuwait, see my posts which are tagged "Bedoun Civil Rights Movement".

Life in the Desert

I danced in the desert,I swam by the shores, I spent warm nights under starlit blankets of silver,I made friends from far-away placesI ate and drank and savored it allI loved and was lovedWhat more could anyone ask for?